Sheet separating device



Feb. 19, .1935. TRIOMPIER 1,991,989

SHEET SEPARATING DEVICE Filed March 8, 1954 LOUIS TROMPIER INVENTORATTORNEYS Patented F eb. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHEETSEPARATING DEVICE Louis Trompier, Villeurbanne, France Application March8, 1934, Serial No. 714,587 In Germany March 9, 1933 3 Claims. (Cl.271-36) The present invention concerns an automatic which only occurs atthe appropriate instant, in feed for sheets of paper, cards, envelopesor any a manner already known. other thin and flexible materialoccurring in This regulating device may consist of a known sheets, theprincipal characteristic consisting of system, either of a set ofrocking fingers or cams a large output and extremely simple and certainwhich are applied at intervals to push against 5 functioning, the pileof sheets which is to be fed, or in the This system of automatic feed isessentially case of a rotary feeding system, of one or severalcharacterized in that the sheets, cards, envelopes smooth par s, Whichthus h no d g t on. etc., are arranged in a pile in front of a rotarySeparating those of dh si e material. feed system which draws oil, inthe direction of As a consequence, h v tion has in view, 10 itsmovement, the first sheet of thi pile and this by way of new industrialproducts, auto- Under the action of the driving force to which meticfeeds comprising the whole or p r l nit is subjected, the first sheetslides over the folphcetion of Similar deviceslowing one and isintroduced into a curved chan- It can be quite easily Understood w t aidnel for transmission to the delivery end without of the followingSupplementary descri and 1., the following sheet or sheets beingsimultaneof the diagrammatic drawing tt c ed, wh ch ously carried alongowing to their disposition description and drawing of u se, givenrelative to the directionof the curved delivery p e y y ofindicationchannel and the section of its opening, which are Figures 1and 2 Show the apparatus in d adjusted so as t permit only one h t tpass t elevation at the instant when one sheet is being 20 a time, fedand the preceding one is falling.

This system of automatic feed is based on Figure 3 is p v wdrawing offat considerable speed a h t f According to the invention the apparatusin paper i d i t a Curved passage of adhstaits essential elementsconsists of an inclined g5 ble cross section at the end of which isplaced a Plane q Supporting table 1 on which is pressure spring whichrelieves the exit by assistranged the p 2 f p per, sheets, envelopes orm t f ll of the preceding sheet, card, the like, which are to be takenone at a time, in velope etc. 1 such a manner that they descend bygravity.

The curved shape of this channel necessitates If necessary their descentcan be assisted by a system of feeding and delivering having an a knownsystem for example P means f 3U adhesion suiiicient to permit the sheetto be Pressure plate 3 Shown defied w drawmg' carried into this channelin spite of the resistance P some, membfer havmg a sprmg other opposedto its forward movement by this curvadevlce pressing against the upperpart of the pile. ture. In this manner it is ensured that several ThisP1 1e arrested at lts 'f by a l System sheets will not passsimultaneously, the adhesion conslstmg' m the c3159 shown m the drawmg'of a 35 being insufficient to carry along the following roller 4 whoseperiphery has f Smooth part 5 sheet. and another 6 of rubber, gelatineor other ma- In order to prevent the succeeding sheet from tenal causingf F agamst whlcfh it bearsbeing started inopportunely by the smoothpart- It also bears Y Its upper part agamst of the driving system, andto annul the effect 9 which 15 movable or other of the of this, alightspring, which holds it, is arranged du'Fctwns of the arrow P Such way asto at a very short distance (a few millimetres) beg perfectlythepnentamon of the Sheet 11 low the entrance w the med Chalmeioii fiiihsii ii 85 eiifeitiiti the pile 2 This automatic feed may or may not becomr pleted by any appropriate device which enables g: ?g gfgz g l g ig5 3 35 5 53 the feed of the sheet or envelope to be regulated, 10 can bemoved towards or away from the in order that it shall be delivered 1nthe intervals roller 4, in such a way as to reduce or increase accordmgto the rhythm of the machme of the space left free between the peripheryof this t member which receives them; printing and the said movablesupport 9 in order to form 50 chines, counting, gumming, duplicatingmachines th r ed feed passage 12, or the like. When rotating in thedirection of the arrow 8, Th feeding action y 80 be increased by thewheel 4 feeds by adherence the first sheet or arranging, in the adheringmaterial, or by reenvelope 11 of the pile 2 into the said curved 55placing it with, suction orifices, the action of passage. Thus drawnoil, it slides against the 55 succeeding sheet or envelope and isdelivered by the passage 12 towards the machine where it is to be used.

In order to ensure perfect separation between the sheets the smallspring 16 attached to the strut l4 closes the curved channel a fewmillimetres below its entrance. By thus preventing a sheet from startinginopportunely, it is ensured that the feed will only take place when theadherence is sufficient to overcome the resistance due to the passage inthe curved channel'12 and that due to the small spring 16.

With the object of ensuring a perfect separation of the sheets, and abetter fall of that discharged, there is also arranged at the exit fromthe passage 12 a spring 13 having a suitable play, fixed to a strut 14above the roller 4. An orifice 15 provided in its median part enables itto bend without colliding with anything.

When the sheet or envelope 11 reaches the end of the passage 12 itslides underneath the spring 13 which is raised and which presses on it.When this sheet has completely left the passage 12, the pressure of thespring 13 causes it to fall as shown in Figure 1.

In order to facilitate the discharge, a cylinder 22 of a materialcausing adherence can be arranged at the end of the passage 12 and isdriven by friction from the wheel 4, as the said cylinder and wheel arealways wider than the sheet to be driven.

For manipulating certain qualities of paper it is possible that thedriving effort produced by the material causing adhesion may beinsuflicient. In this case it may be increased by using, in combinationwith the above system, vacuum suction such as is commonly employed inprinting machines.

In the case of the apparatus shown in the drawing, along one or more ofthe surfaces of the adherent part of the wheel 4 several orifices areprovided, of suitable shape (18) with channels 19 opening into a centralchannel 20 which is itself in communication, through a tube 21, with anair pump or some other apparatus for reducing the pressure, not shown inthe drawing. By means of a rotating valve of some known system, thesuction is produced from the instant the paper is seized until theinstant it falls. These oridoes 18 are closed by some system inaccordancewith the width of the sheet being fed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of United Statesis:-

1. In a sheet separating and feeding device having a feeding anddischarging roller adapted to engage against a pile of sheets standingedgewise in an inclined position, a. fixed supporting table disposedadjacent to said roller, and an ach'ustable guide block upon said tablesupporting said pile of sheets, having one end thereof concave insubstantially concentric conformity with the arcuate surface of saidroller and spaced an alterable distance therefrom sov that a uniformcurved delivery channel results between said block and roller, which isadjustable by adjustment of said block upon said table to the thicknessof a single sheet intended to pass through said channel.

2. In a sheet separating and feeding device according to claim 1, adoubled and bent guide member disposed in front of the pile of sheetsupon the guide block, having one end serving as a resilient arm orspring penetrating into the curved delivery channel in order to preventa second sheet from accidentally sliding into the channel andaccompanying a sheet being delivered through said channel and the secondend extending downward past the circumference outline of the roller soas to effect final separation and delivery of the single sheet'from saidchannel in a predetermined direction.

3. In a sheet separating and feeding device according to claim 1, thecombination of the guide member located in front of the pile of sheetsupon the guide block having the lower end thereof penetrating into thecurved delivery channel in order to serve as a spring preventing asecond sheet from accidentally sliding into the channel and accompanyinga single sheet being delivered through said channel, and a second guidemember also disposed in front of said pile having the lower endextending downward past the circumference outline of the roller andeffecting final separation and delivery of the single sheet from saidchannel in a predetermined direction.

LOUIS TROMPIER.

